Sliver compressor



7 June 2, 1953 c, GWALTNEY 2,640,229

SLIVER COMPRESSOR Filed July 28, 1951 ATT R/VEI Patented June 2, 1953 suvsa COMPRESSOR Eugene C. Gwaltney, Biddeford Pool, Maine, as-

signor to Saco-Lowell Shops, Boston, Mass., a

corporation of Maine Application July 28, 1951, Serial No. 239,064.

This invention relates to textile fiber working machinery and more particularly to a novel device for compressing textile sliver.

In textile manufacture; the textile fiber after carding is generally collected in the form of a loose untwisted sliver of high bulk, such sliver generally being handled by putting it into a can for transfer to the next operation, usually a drawing operation. The sliver remains in its substantially untwisted condition through one or more drawing operations, and possibly a combing operation, the sliver being taken from one operation to the next in relatively large cans. Under such circumstances it is desirable to reduce the bulk of the sliver so that as much sliver as possible may be put into a can, and such reduction of the bulk of the sliver has generally been carried out by means of a pair of calender rolls through which the untwisted sliver is passed just prior to its insertion in the can, such rolls serving to compress the sliver by'pressing thefibers together and so reducing the bulk of the sliver to some extent.

It is a primary object of the present invention greatly to increase the amount of compression of the textile sliver both to reduce the bulk thereof so that a correspondingly greater weight and length of sliver may be put into a can, thus reducing the number of cans required, as well as reducing the piecing-up of the sliver ends, and to increase the strength of the untwisted sliver, thus greatly reducing the possibility of rupture of the sliver due to the necessary handling thereof.

In accordance with my invention, then, I provide a device adapted to be used with a pair of rolls to compress a textile sliver to a much greater extent than has heretofore been possible by the use of calender rolls alone.

It is a feature of my invention that my novel device may be used with existing apparatus and is extremely simple and cheap to manufacture, as well as to use and, a further feature of my invention is that, by its use, a better sliver is produced with less labor since fewer piecings-up are required.

For the purpose of more fully explaining a preferred embodiment of my invention, reference is made to the drawings, in which:

Fig. l is an isometric view of the sliver compressor of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view of the sliver compressor of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the sliver compressor of Fig l; and

3 Glaims. (Cl. lib-157) Fig. l is a side cross-sectional view illustrating the use of my sliver compressor in conjunction with a pair of calender rolls.

Referring to the drawings, the sliver com-,

pressor of my invention comprises a generally triangular base prismatic-shaped body l2 of any suitable material, although I prefer to use a moulded plastic material such as nylon, said body having two faces [4 with concave cylindrical surfaces meeting substantially tangentially to one another to form one edge 15 of said body and a third face i 5 having therein a funnelthrough the body I2 between the concave faces l4 and the bottom of the recess l8. The narrow slot 20 is preferably about 1 6 of an inch in its narrow dimension parallel with the edge l5, and, in its long dimension perpendicular to said edge, of a length great enough to accommodate the maximum bulk of sliver to be compressed,

preferably of a length of at least about A",

though shorter lengths may be used with relatively light slivers. I further prefer that the slot 20 extend for a substantially equal distance along each face l4 awayfromthe edge I5 between such faces since my novel sliver compressor is most effective when so constructed. However, in some circumstances it may be necessary or desirable to extend the slot 20 further along one face than the other. I also prefer that the axis of the funnel-shaped recess I8 be in a plane with and generally perpendicular to the edge l5.

Referring now to Fig. 4, the use of my sliver compressor with a pair of calender rolls 24 is illustrated. The sliver compressor is supported by any suitable means (not shown) with the two cylindrical concave faces 14 maintained in contact with the surfaces of the calender rolls 2 1, such faces I l preferably being constructed in the form of a cylindrical surface of the same radius as that of the calender rolls 2t and meetmg each other substantially tangentially, the edge It between said faces M extending nearly into the nip of said rolls and being generally parallel with the axes of the rolls. Since the faces M are in contact with the rolls 24, the use of a self-lubricating bearing material, such as nylon, is a practical necessity, since any free 3 lubricant would stain and damage the sliver as it passes between the rolls 24;.

With the sliver compressor maintained in such position the sliver 22 is first threaded through the slot 20 in the bottom of recess 18 until it is engaged by the calender rolls 28, driven by any suitable means (not shown), after which initial threading the calender rolls serve to draw the sliver through my sliver compressor. After the initial threading, the sliver 22 proceeds continuously from the card or other machine into the funnel-shaped recess I8 which serves to collect it and pass it into the narrow slot 28. The slot 20 confines the sliver in a direction axially of the calender rolls and the surfaces of the calender rolls 24 in contact with the faces l4 confine the sliver 22 in a direction perpendicularly of the axis of said rolls as it progresses through the slot 20, the calender rolls progresssively compressing the thus confined fiber until it has been compressed to a maximum extent, at which time the sliver passes out of the discharge orifice and immediately into the nip of the calender rolls 24. The cooperation of the rolls 24 and the concave faces thus confine the sliver while the rolls progressively decrease the cross-sectional area of the sliver.

The sliver is thus compressed to a maximum before it passes out of the discharge orifice at the edge [5 between the faces I 4. The sliver then passes directly into the nip of the calender rolls 24, is squeezed between them and then passes into a can, not shown.

I have found that by the use of my novel sliver compressor the amount of substantially un' twisted cotton sliver which may be put into a can is increased in the order of 2050 thus not only reducing the number of cans necessary to carry out the desired transfer operation but also great 1y reducing the amount of piecing-up necessary by providing longer lengths of cotton sliver in a single can.

It will he understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made of the sliver compressor by my invention within the spirit of my invention and the scope of the appended "claims.

I claim:

1. A sliver compressor for use with a pair of calender rolls to compress a textile sliver comrising a generally triangular base prismaticshaped body having two faces with concave surfaces terminating at an edge, and a third face with a funnel-shaped sliver-collecting recess extending toward an edge between said first two faces, and a discharge orifice for said recess ineluding a narrow totally enclosed slot extending substantially perpendicularly from an edge between said two faces along at least one of said fa es and through said body to said recess to completely confine in a direction axially of a pair of calender rolls a textile sliver to be compressed.

2- A sliver compressor for use with a pair of calender rolls to compress a textile sliver comprising a generally triangular base prismaticshaped body having two faces with substantially tangentially meeting concave cylindrical surfaces and a third face with a funnel-shaped sliver-collecting recess extending toward an edge between said two tangentially meeting faces and a discharge orifice for said recess including a narrow totally enclosed slot extending substantially perpendicularly from the said edge between said two faces along at least one of said faces and through said body to said recess to completely confine in a direction axially of a pair of calender rolls a textile sliver to be compressed.

3. A sliver compressor for use with a pair of calender rolls to compress a textile sliver comprising a generally triangular base prismatic shaped body having two faces with concave surfaces terminating in an edge and a third face with a funnel-shaped sliver-collecting recess extending toward an edge between said two faces, the axis of said recess being generally perpendicular to an edge, and a discharge orifice for said recess including a narrow totally enclosed slot extending substantially perpendicularly from an edge along said first two faces and through said body to said recess to completely confine in a direction axially of a pair of calender rolls a textile sliver to be compressed.

EUGENE C. GWALTNEY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,992,121 Casablancas Feb. 19, 1935 2,091,822 Kraft Aug. 31, 1937 2,430,611 'Gwaltney et al Nov. 11, 1947 2,450,251 Noguera Sept. 28, 1948 

